Emerging Leaders Series connects young professionals to community

As the work force changes, employers and other leaders are becoming more aware of the needs of that new work force.

“You’ve got boomers retiring, you’ve got Gen-Xers coming into the leadership positions, and these Millennials are coming into the work force with a lot of passion and excitement to do good at work, in the community,” said Kevin Stotts, vice president of community leadership at the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce and executive director of the chamber’s Center for Community Leadership.

Stotts and his team have a new initiative to engage that incoming generation more effectively on multiple levels.

The Center for Community Leadership has held the one-day Download GR program for young professionals since 2007, but this summer it will introduce an enhanced program, the Emerging Leaders Series. The program’s four half-day sessions, which begin June 9, will provide participants more information and opportunities to connect to the community.

“My staff came to me and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got the Download GR program, but it’s kind of missing the mark and missing the opportunity to provide more resources for our peers,’” Stotts said.

The new program seems to be hitting that mark, as the Center for Community Leadership already has around a dozen applications, the deadline for which is May 28.

Stotts wants participants who will be engaged and utilize what the program has to offer. And the program will be limited to 25 young professionals to provide a more valuable experience.

“It’s not about just a networking opportunity — it’s really about getting engaged in the community and developing personal and professional contacts and networks that are going to help you in your career but also in your community work,” Stotts said.

The program will include conversations with community leaders, a board-service training program, and an opportunity to explore community issues and community service opportunities.

“If there’s something that’s very true about this group of Millennials coming into the work force, it’s that they see their community work, their professional work and their personal lives all woven together,” Stotts said.

Therefore, he expects participants’ training and experiences will benefit them beyond their professional lives.

“They’re getting some reflection on who they are as an individual and as a professional and what are their unique talents and strengths so they can put those to better use at work — but also in their personal life and their community work,” Stotts said.

And as Download GR was developed with the help of employer feedback, Stotts said the enhanced Emerging Leaders Series should be even more valuable for them.

“They’re seeing it as investing in the future of their young professionals,” Stotts said. “It generates tremendous good will on the part of the employer-employee relationship.”

The Center for Community Leadership expects most participants will be sponsored by their employers — the program costs $350 for nonprofits and $500 for corporations — but they should come away with a lot of knowledge applicable to the workplace. And young professionals with community ties are more likely to stay in that community.

“From our vantage point, it’s a win-win-win,” Stotts said. “It’s a win for the talent, it’s a win for us because we’re providing a better program and service for the community, and it’s a win for the employer because they’re getting an enhanced value with making the time available for their staff to participate.”